Pouring arc furnace



Dec. 25, 1951 J. A. UPPER 2,579,885

POURING ARC FURNACE Filed Dec. 4, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l A 7"TO ENE y Dec. 25, 1951 J. A. UPPER 2,579,885

POURING ARC FURNACE Filed Dec. 4, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 75 //vv/v7'o/e JOHN UPPEE ATT'o ENE) 7o 6 6 as n Dec. 25, 1951 J. A. UPPER POURING ARC FURNACE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 4, 1948 IIIIIIIIIII Ill/Il/l/I llll/I Patented Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE? POURING ARC FURNACE John A. Upper, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Norton Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 4, 1948, Serial No. 63,604

6 Claims.

1 The invention relates to the production of ingots of crystalline alumina from a fusion of ore such as bauxite ore and the invention inerally 94% A1203 or better and usually not above'98% A1203. Another object-of the invention is to produce ingots of regular alumina having a coarse dense waxy crystal development. Another object of the invention is to produce by the casting method regular alumina which is not inferior to the product long made in the conventional electric arc furnace in the use of which the entire contents of the furnace is solidified in situ after the bauxite ore has been fused. Another object of the invention is to produce by the above indicated pouring and casting method, regular alumina which, when crushed and bonded to make grinding wheels, imparts to such grinding wheels that characteristic blue color which is recognized by the consumers as the hallmark of a superior product.

Another object of the invention is to produce ingots of alumina of any degree of purity or any crystalline structure by the pouring and casting method from natural aluminous ore, either bauxite or otherwise or from any impure material. Another object of the invention is to provide effective apparatus and an effective method for the continuous fusion of bauxite or other aluminous ore. Another object of the invention is to provide an effective apparatus and method for the continuous fu ion of bauxite or other aluminous ore and for withdrawing from the fusion the non-aluminous material, especially for getting rid, from time to time, of the ferro-silicon and titania content of the ore. Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the production of fused alumina from bauxite or other aluminous ore whereby a valuable ferro-silicon results as a by-product and whereby nearly all of the ma s of the ore (minus that which goes off in the form of gaseous products) results in useful and salable material.

Another object of the invention is greatly to speed the production of fused alumina.v Another object of the invention is to achieve a more economical production of alumina. Another object of the invention is, in the manufacture of alumina, to achieve a more efficient utilization of power, that is to say to produce a pound of alumina with the expenditure of less electrical energy than heretofor. Another object of the invention is the reduction or even elimination of heavy manual labor in the production of alumina. Another object of the invention is to produce crystalline alumina with less capital investment. Another object of the invention is to make possible the production of crystalline alumina in a cleaner plant. Another object of the invention is to achieve a better control of the quality of crystalline alumina produced from ores. Another object of the invention is, in the manufacture of alumina from bauxite ore or the like, to eliminate the rehandling of by-products such as partially reduced material, sweepings, magnetic tailings and second grade (unsaleable) ferra-silicon Another object is to convert bauxite ore into crystalline alumina and saleable ferro-silicon, with practically no loss of material except that which passes off into, gases (mostly CO).

Another object is to produce, from bauxite ore orother impure aluminous materials, a crystalline alumina which has certain characteristics superior to those produced by the conventional electric arc furnace. Another object is to make abrasive material which, when made into vitrified bonded grinding wheels, produces grinding wheels which are less susceptible to deterioration from wetting than those of similar composition heretofore made.

Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one of many possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure l is a side elevation of a tilting furnace constructed in accordance with the invention, showing also a car and an ingot mold, and showing certain pits in section,

Figure 2 is a hydraulic diagram showing how the crucible of the furnace is tilted,

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the crucible,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the crucible,

Figure 5 is a sectional view of thecrueible taken on the line 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the hood of the furnace, the parts being shown on a somewhat smaller scale than that of Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5,

Figure '7 is a plan view of a stationary rocker support,

Figure 8 is a plan view on asmall scale showing the furnace and also an arrangement of tracks and a car transfer mechanism and a casting pit to cast the ferro-silicon and a pour trough mounted on a car to convey the molten ferro-silicon from the furnace to the casting pit.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the pouring trough and an end view of the car upon which it is mounted showing also part of the casting pit in section and part of the furnace in side elevation.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the pouring trough and the car on which it is mounted.

Figure 11 is an end view of the pouring trough and a side elevation of the car upon which it is mounted.

Figure 12 is a cross sectional view of the pouring trough taken on the line |2|2 of Figure 9.

Referring first to Figures 1, 3, '4 and 5, the crucible of the electric arc furnace comprises a steel shell 2| in the form of a bucket of a shape to be described. This shell 2| may be made out of good steel plate preferably about one inch or more in thickness. It may be made up from sections welded together and the welding of course should be well done to prevent leakage or the opening up of a seam.

The shape of the shell or bucket 2| is the re- 1 sultant of several considerations; in the first place the upper portion 22 is generally a frustocone and this is for the purpose of insuring that all parts of the surface of this upper portion 22 will be covered with a cascade of water from a pipe 23 extending under a ledge 24 all the way around the upper portion 22. This pipe 23 has holes, too small to be shown, all the way around the shell 2| on the underside and close to the shell, and a flexible hose 25 is connected to the pipe 23 and to a source of water in order to keep water cascading over the upper portion 22 at all times when the furnace is receiving power.

Referring now to Figure 4, the upper portion 22 is flattened on the front, that is to say its otherwise circular section is cut by a chordal plane. The reason for the flattening is to bring the tappin spout 21 (see also Figs. 1 and 5) closer to the center of the crucible than it otherwise would be thus to place it in a relatively hot zone so as to lessen or reduce the tendency to freeze the alumina at this point. Some alumina does freeze at this point but forming only a relatively thin shell which can be broken with a ram rod whereas if the pouring spout 21 were farther from the center of the crucible, the shell of frozen alumina would be thicker and very likely impossible to break with a ram rod.

The bottom of the shell 2| has a shape which is the resultant of the following considerations: in the first place it is continuous with the upper portion 22 in order to form a bucket, in the second place it is curved to avoid sharp corners in the metal which might set up strains to cause fracture and also for avoiding corners which might cause the contents to freeze. It has a decided bulge 3| atthe rear portion, this bulge being of lesser radius of curvature in the section of Figure 5 than the forward portion 32 of the bottom and this is for the purpose of locating the lowest portion of the bottom 30 well to the rear of the crucible so that only moderate tilting is required to draw off a considerable portion of the molten ferrosilicon which, as the result of the reduction of the silica and the iron 4 oxide in the ore, settles to the bottom of the crucible. By forming a bulge with a curvature of short radius 3| and a forward portion 32 with a gentle curvature a sort of leverage effect is 5 provided whereby more ferro-silicon can be drawn off by tilting to a given angle than could be done if the bottom Bil-were symmetrical. This then is the shape of the bottom 30 in the plane of Figure 5 which is a fore and aft section; the shape in any section plane perpendicular to the section plane of Figure 5 may however be symmetrical as is indicated by the elevational view,

Figure 3, that is to say the curvature on the.

bottom in any such cross section may preferably be the same on each side. However, considered as a whole, it will be seen that the curvature of the bottom 30 in such cross sections is greater, that is to say of less radius at the center of the bottom than it is on the sides of the bottom and this is to form a moderately deep well so as to bring the upper level of the molten ferrosilicon reasonably low down in the crucible.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 5. the upper level of the molten material during continuous furnace operation will usually be at about the line 35 before pouring, and the upper level of the molten ferro-silicon will usually be at about the line 36 before pouring, naturally after pouring these level lines will be somewhat lower. When pouring the ferro-silicon, as hereinafter described,

it is good practice to pour oil as much as possible I without pouring off any alumina. When pouring off the alumina, as hereinatfer described, it is good practice to pour off as much as can be poured without letting the level line 35 come any closer to the tapping spout 21 than about five inches.

Still referring to the same figures, the ledge 24 is L-shaped in cross section to protect the pipe 23 as shown from any molten material that may spurt out of the furnace because the continuous functioning of the pipe 23 to supply water is most important as otherwise the molten material may melt the shell 2| and flow out of the furnace with great danger to all persons in the vicinity. Molten alumina has a temperature above 2000 C. The L-shaped ledge 24 also imparts additional strength and rigidity to the upper section of the shell better to resist distortion.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6, surrounding the ledge 24 and extending upwardly therefrom for the purpose of keeping ore dust from escaping, is a hood 40 which in plan view may have a circumference of about the same shape as that of 55 the ledge 24 and which in shape is a cylinder cut by a chordal plane having a horizontal fiat top portion 4| as a cover in which however there are round openings 42 for the passage of electrodes 43 and smaller round openings 44 for the passage 60 of feed pipes 45 which will be described. This hood 40 and its top or cover 4| may be made of sheet steel of about a quarter inch in thickness,

all portions being welded together to form a unitary piece. The hood 40 is not connected to the shell 2| of the crucible but rather is supported from the floor 41 as by means of four I-beams 48 of steel which are preferably welded to the outside of the hood n 40. The clearance between the hood 40 and the ledge 24 is enough to permit tilting of the crucible in and under the hood 40 in a manner to be described. In the openings 42 in the top 4| of the hood 40 are bushings 49 made of steel and lined with a hard asbestos composition in order to I prevent short circuiting of the electrodes.

Referring now especially to Figures 1 and 6. the electrodes 43 are preferably made of graphite and preferably are three in number; three feed pipes 45 are located adjacent the electrodes 43 and preferably outside of the triangle formed by the electrodes. With regard to the supporting and controlling of the vertical position of the electrodes. 43 and the conductors 'and' clamps to connect them in a three phase electrical power circuit, the art is already well informed and reference is especially invited to U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,426,643, granted upon application of my late colleague, Raymond R. Ridgway, and dated September 2, 1947. Certain considerations about the power will be hereinafter pointed out but at this point it should suffice to note that the automatic controlling mechanism is adjusted to raise and lower each electrode 43 individually, to maintain the desired current in amperes flowing in each electrode, the controlling apparatus being arranged to lower an individual electrode when the current flow therein becomes less than the previously determined value and to raise it when the current flow becomes more than the predetermined value and of course this automatic mechanism is provided with controls which are known to the art to prevent what is known as hunting.

Thus the power input through the three electrodes is substantially constant for a given setting of the control apparatus, and furthermore the arcs from each electrode are maintained at about the same power input but the total power input can be changed at any time by manual controls and furthermore the bottoms of all three electrodes 43 can at will be raised to the flat top 4| to permit the extreme tilting to pour oil the ferro-silicon as hereinatfer described. Naturally also power can be completely out from all the electrodes whenever desired. In this invention the use of non-tilting electrodes ispreferred. By 40 using stationary non-tilting electrode supports it is possible to supply power to the furnace during pouring thereby enhancing efllciency of the over-all furnace operation. These controls, features and mechanisms are already known to the art and as aforesaid especial reference may be made to the above mentioned patent to Ridgway.

The positions for the three electrodes are chosen with reference to the bulge 3| so that only one electrode is over this bulge. It is desirable to have the pool of ferro-silicon mainly under one electrode only rather than under two or three because the specific res stance of the ferrosilicon is considerably less than that of molten alumina. If the pool of ferro-silicon metal were located under two or three electrodes instead of one, a considerable amount of power would flow through the pool of metal in preference to flowing entirely through the molten alumina. It is preferable that most or all of the power be liberated in the arcs and in the alumina melt. The position of the electrodes is also such that the center of the electrode triangle is the center of the part of uniform radius of the upper portion 22.

The three feed pipes 45 deliver from time to time crushed bauxite of known chemical composition to the top of the melt. So far as is possible the composition of successive batches of bauxite should be substantially uniform. This of course may be done by crushing a large shipment and thoroughly mixing it making such additions as are required to give the desired chemical composition. Any kind of mechanical feeding mechanism may be employed but it is not believed necessary to illustrate or describe such herein.

In the construction shown it is never necessary to move the two forward feed pipes 45 when tilting the crucible even to its extreme position to pour off ferro silicon, since there is no me- 5 chanical interference. But the rear feed pipe 45 has to be raised when tilting to this. extreme po- "sitioii to prevent interference. Accordingly I may make it (and preferably all three of the pipes 45) out of flexible steel piping and before tilting to pour ferro-silicon, a workman climbs to the top 4| of the hood and lifts upwardly the rear pipe 45, which readily bends, until it is entirely out of the hood 40. This is not difficult and usually term-silicon is poured only every other day. This rear pipe may be as easily reinserted when the pouring of ferro-silicon is finished.

Referring still to Figures 1 and 6, the top 4| has further openings, one under a rectangular header at one side of the rear of the top 4| and the other under an elongated rectangular header 5| extending across the front of the top 4|. The header 50 is connected to a large pipe 52 and the header 5| is connected to a large pipe 53 which, as shown, is also connected to the pipe 52. The pipe 52 is connected to a suitable suction device, not shown, the discharge end of which may return the dust collected to the bauxite bins or to a pipe connected to the feed distributor which in turn is connected to the feed pipes 45, all as 0 indicated in the Ridgway Patent No. 2,426,643.

In this manner very little material is lost and furthermore working conditions are improved. As explained in the Ridgway patent this suction apparatus serves also to draw air into the hood 40 thus preventing egress of dust into the furnace room and also cooling the hood 40 to keep it from overheating. s

In a periodic electric arc furnace for fusing alumina where the entire contents of the furnace is solidified in situ after the bauxite ore has been fused, known as a Higgins furnace because it was invented by Aldus C. Higgins as disclosed by his U. S. Letters Patent No. 775,654, patented November 22, 1904, the base of the furnace has a lining of carbon. The lining of the Ridgway furnace on the bottom is formed in situ as described in the above mentioned Ridgway patent but, as also described in the Ridgway patent, that furnace was designed for fusing powdered Bayer alumina which is already at least 98% alumina A1203 containing some soda Na20 but not enough silica and iron-oxide to form a ferro-silicon pool at the bottom of the furnace. I have made the discovery that the furnace bottom 30 can be successfully protected from attack by the molten ferro-silicon by the construction of a lining 55 of refractory alumina brick carefully fitted to the inside of the bottom 30 and I prefer also to carry the lining up to protect part of the upper portion 22 of the steel shell 2| all as clearly shown in Figure 5. The best way now known to me to make this lining is as follows.

The material is known as alumina cement and consists of coarse and fine particles of very pure, dense, fused crystalline alumina, free from porosity. A mixture of coarse and fine particles of many different grit sizes of this alumina is made and 1% of bentonite is added. Bentonite is a known material being a colloidal clay. Before ramming enough water should be added to make the mixture rammable as is known. This material was rammed in place to form the lining and then was removed and fired and replaced. It was rammed in sections to make individual bricks so that the "green bricks could be removed.

-7 This may be done by building partitions starting with a ring of iron near the center of the bottom 38 and continuing with wooden partitions using braces as required, then ramming one space set off by the partitions, removing a partition wall, replacing this wall with paper, ramming the adjacent space, removing another partition, replacing again with paper, and continuing to ram spaces, remove partitions and replace with paper until the entire area as shown is covered with rammed material but this material is separated into a great number of bricks by pieces of paper. Then the individual bricks are removed and fired at cone 35 which produces an extremely dense refractory brick having a high order of thermal conductivity. Firing at cone 35 means that number 35 cone will come down in such a firing operation. Firing of ceramic ware is a function of both time and temperature and not merely of temperature. The American Society for Testing Materials gives 1785 C. as the temperature at which cone 35 is brought down when the kiln is heated at the rate of 100 C. per hour. Then the bricks are carefully replaced in the position which they originally occupied. The very narrow spaces which were occupied by the paper are preferably now filled with a slurry of alumina flnes, using the same white dense alumina. The lining is now in such condition that the furnace can be fired. The bricks of the lining 55 are preferably made from at least 97% particles of alumina, that is to say the bentonite or other added material should not exceed 3% according to the preferred embodiment of my invention. The alumina particles themselves are preferably at least 98% pure alumina.

In order that the arc furnace 28 may be tilted from the position in which it is shown in the drawings, it is provided with a pair of rockers 60. Each rocker 60 may consist of an outside plate 6|, an inside plate 62 each shaped to conform to the furnace bottom 30 and being welded thereto and a curved shoe 03 welded to the plates 6| and 82. Teeth 64 are welded to the bottom of the plate 63. Thus in effect the plate 53 and the teeth 64 form a segment of a gear.

Referring now to Figures 1 and '1, the rockers 68 rest upon rocker supports 66, preferably made out of steel, each having a pair of arcuate upper surfaces 81 supporting the shoes 63, and each having suitable ribs 68 extending to a bottom plate 69 which is secured as by means of bolts 18 to a massive concrete base 1| resting on the floor of the furnace room. Between the arcuate upper surfaces 61 indentations or wells are formed leaving between them what in eifect are teeth 16. The teeth 64 of the rockers 60 fit in the indentations 15 and thus the rockers 80 are geared to the rocker supports 86 so that the locus of the shell 2| does not change relative to its support although it can be rocked to different tilted positions and then returned to the original normal position shown in Figure l.

The curvature of the shoes 63 and the curvature of the rocker supports 66 are chosen so that the shell 2| in operation always tends to return to its upright position shown in Figure l and this result is readily achieved because of the flattening of the upper portion 22 on the front thus throwing the center of gravity behind the axis of the conical part of the upper portion 22.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 5, to the bottom 30 at the rear of the bulge 3| is welded a flange 18 having a hole 19 to which is connected by a pin 88 a piston rod 8| having a piston .82 in a cylinder 83 having trumiions 84 journalled in plates 85 welded to channel irons 83 embedded in concrete 81 shaped to form a pit 88 in which the cylinder 83 is located and can swing. The cylinder 83 is connected by a flexible steel hose 98 which is coupled to piping 9| to a valve casin 92 in which a valve 93 and the valve casing 92 is connected by a pipe 94 to a relief valve 95 which is connected by a pipe 96 to a pump 91 which is connected by a pipe 98 to a supply tank 99. The relief valve 95 has a return pipe I and the valve casing 92 is connected to a return pipe IOI which extends into the tank 99. Referring to Figure 8, the tank 99, the pump 91, the valves 93 and 95 are preferably conveniently located in a control tower I05 and the piping 9| extends from the control tower I05 to the pit 88. By means of a handle, not shown, the operator can turn the valve 83 and when it is in the position shown the pump 91 is merely pumping fluid through the relief valve 95 and through the return pipe I08 back into the tank 99. But when the valve member 93 is turned to the left about 45 fluid will flow through the piping 9| and steel hose into the cylinder 83 moving the piston 82 and the piston rod 8| and tilting the steel shell or bucket 2| to the right as far as the operator desires, for the tilting is under control of the operator and can be stopped at any time by a slight movement of the valve 93. In order to return the steel shell or bucket 2| to its original position, the operator turns the valve 99 to the right about 45 from the position shown which connects the piping 9| to the pipe |8| and allows the fluid to flow out of the cylinder 83. A con-- 'has a conical lining I88 of carbon or graphite having a lip I89 at the front end and the conical lining I88 extends right through the furnace lining 55. The conical lining I08 of the tapping spout 21 is normally plugged with a graphite plug IIO which is conical and has a head I to keep it from wedging too securely in the lining I08. To the head III of the graphite plug H8 is attached a U-shaped bracket II2 which may be made of steel and extending through this U- shaped bracket H2 and through a steel lever H3 is a pin II4 thus pivotally connecting the graphite plug IIO to the lever ||3. However, the plug 0 can tilt on the lever |I3 only within a limited extent owing to the closeness of the lever II3 to the head III. The lever H8 is pivotally mounted on a pin II5 extending between the legs of a long U-shaped bracket II8 welded to the front of the ledge 24. On the top of the lever H3 is a big iron ball 1. It will readily be seen that the weight of the ball 1 normally exerts a gentle force to keep the plu H8 in t e lining I08 of the tapping spout 21 and this gent e force is adequate for the intended purpose. When, however, the operator with a long rod of iron hits the ball II1 to throw it to the left, Figure 5, the plug H0 is pulled out of the linin I08 and since there is nothing to hold the ball until it hits the long U-shaped bracket III-i, the plug H0 is pulled away out and lifted well up above the tapping spout 21 so that it in no way interferes therewith Referring now to Figures 3 and 5, in order to keep the tapping spout 21 from melting, I provide an annular pipe I20 extending right around the spout 2'! and this is connected to a pipe I2I which is connected to a T-union I22 which is connected to a rubber hose I23 connected to the water supply. This annular pipe I20 has small holes on the inside directing water all over the periphery of the tapping spout 21. This water also drips down to cover part of the bottom 30 as also does some from the pipe 23. This is another reason for giving the entire shell 2| a smooth surface for I have found that water will follow the surface of the steel practically to the lowest part of the bulge 3I by reason of surface tension if ledges or very rough places are avoided. In this connection it is important to keep the molten ferro-silicon above the lining 55 and to do this it is important to extract the heat from the lining 55 as fast as possible and to do this the bottom 30 including the bulge 3I should be continuously supplied with water. It may be pointed out that the molten ferro-silicon is far more dangerous to the steel shell 2| than is the molten alumina, for the molten alumina is practically at the freezing point and a slight chilling thereof causes it to freeze whereas the molten ferro-silicon, having a much lower freezing point, is in a condition of super heat and a slight chilling thereof will not cause it to freeze so if and when it comes in contact with the steel it will strike right through it despite the water cooling. But by extracting heat as rapidly as possible from the bottom of the lining 55 I have been successful in preventing the molten ferro-silicon from striking through.

For the same general purpose, and referring now to Figure 3, connected to the T-union I22 is a pipe I25 which extends between the plates 6 I and 62 of a rocker 60. This pipe I25 likewise has holes to direct the water upwardly against the underside of the bottom 30 where water could not otherwise reach on account of the plate SI. On the other side there is a similar pipe I26 likewise directing water upwardly between the plates GI and 62 for the same purpose and this, as shown in Figure l, is connected to a flexible rubber hose I21 which supplies water thereto. Similarly pipes I30 and I3I on the outside of the plate 62 supply extra water to the bottom 30 and these are connected to rubber hoses supplying water such as the rubber hose I32 for supplying water to the pipe I3I. It should be understood that all of these water supply pipes have holes all along their lengths to direct streams of water upon the outside of the shell 2I at the most advantageous positions to keep the entire outside of the shell 2| covered with water and this it has been found possible to do and in fact during operation of this furnace there have been no dry spots on the outside of the shell 2I Nevertheless, I believe a few dry spots of very small area could be tolerated.

It is important that the water flowing over the shell 2I shall not drip into the molds or into the pouring trough both of which will later be described. In order to keep this from happening, especially when the crucible is tilted for pouring, I provide an iron shield I35, the shape of which is best shown in Figure 3 taken in connection with Figure 4, and which should be welded to the ledge 24 and also to the tapping spout 21 all the way around the spout.

Referring now to Figure 8, I provide a track I40 extending from a wide track I4I to another wide track I42 and passing close by the furnace. I provide ,a number of cars such as the car I43 shown in Figure 1, each car I43 having wheels I44 to roll on the track I40 so that the cars I43 are movable thereon. I further provide wide flat cars I45 having wheels I46 on the tracks HI and I 42 and these wide flat cars I45 carry tracks I41 thereon of the same gage as the track I40.

Each car I43 can carry three iron molds I50 into which the fused alumina is poured in order that it may freeze into ingots. I provide additional tracks I5I and I 52, and I might have even more, connecting the wide tracks HI and I42. The cars I45 are transfer cars and the tracks I and I42 are located at a lower level than the tracks I40, I5I and I52 so that the tracks I47 on the cars I45 can be placed in position to'form continuations of the tracks I5I and I52 or either of the tracks I41 can be placed in position to form a continuation of the track I40. It will be noted that each wide track I and I42 has a wide flat transfer car I45.

I provide an endless cable I55 extending from a pulley I56 secured on a fixed axis between the rails of the track I40 near the track I4I to a pulley I51 tensioned by a spring I58. Both strands of the endless cable I55 pass across a pit I60 wherein is located a motor and driving mechanism for moving the cable I55 in either direction. The motor and driving mechanism are not shown since apparatus for moving a cable is well known.

Referring now to Figures 1, 8 and 9, I provide a clean-out pit I6I having concrete walls as shown and in plan view having an L shape as shown in Figure 8 so that the workman can obtain access to the bottom of the pit even though there are cars I43 on the track I 40 which extends right across the pit I GI being supported upon girders I62 extending from wall to wall of the pit as well shown in Figure 1. In this figure the two strands of the cable I55 can be seen and it will be noted that the lower strand of the cable passes under an angle iron I53 extending from one wall to the other of the pit I5 I to protect the cable from molten alumina which may spatter from the molds I50 during pouring. Preferably also the cars I43 have angle irons I64 to protect the upper strand of the cable I55.

Extending beyond the pit I50 I further provide a pit I65 which is a pouring pit into which molten ferro-silicon is poured. This pit I65 may have concrete walls as indicated in Figures 1 and 11 and it is lined with brick I66 and is preferably further provided with a lining of loose alumina fines I51.

I further provide a car dumping pit I10 equipped with apparatus for tipping a car I43 to a position avhere the congealed contents of alumina will fall out of the molds I50, such apparatus holding the molds I50 in place on the car I43 during the tipping. I shall not describe this apparatus herein since it is the subject of a separate application by myself and Edward Van der Pyl, Serial No. 549,008, filed August 11, 1944, now abandoned.

For a pouring operation a train of cars I43 is made up, each car having molds I50, and the train is connected to the cable I55 and the first car is positioned in line with the tapping spout 21. As indicated herein and as further described in a copending application, Serial No. 549,009, by Edward Van der Pyl, filed August 11, 1944 now Patent 2,489,602, the cars I43 are of such size in relation to the molds I50, and the molds I50 are of such shape that not only are the several molds, usually three, on a car I43 in contiguous relation to each other but the end molds of each car touch the end molds of adjacent cars except of course at the front and rear of the train. The crucible is now tilted to draw off some alumina and the plug III! is removed from the tapping spout 21. At the same time the cable I55 is started to move the train toward the track I4I. The speed of the train of cars is adjusted so that as soon as a mold I50 is filled with molten alumina it moves beyond the pour stream which starts to fill the next mold. Finally all of the molds I50 of the train of cars are substantially filled with molten alumina and then the operator moves the crucible back to its normally vertical position as shown in Figure 1. During this pouring operation surprisingly little alumina splashes over into the pit I6I, but such as does go into the pit IN is now far removed from the track I40 and the cars I43 and so does no harm. Furthermore it can be collected with a shovel after it has solidified.

Now the cars are transferred two at a time to the transfer cars I45 and then transferred to the tracks II and I52. From the track Hi to the track I42 the tracks I5I and I52 preferably run slightly down hill. Preferably from the track I42 to the pit I10 the grade along the track I40 is slightly up hill then from the pit I10 to the furnace the grade is substantially on the level, then from the furnace to the track I4I the grade is up hill. These grades assist the movement and control of the cars. I preferably provide hydraulic plunger mechanism I to move cars I43 from the transfer cars I45 to the dumping pit I10.

Eventually the tracks I5I and I52 are substantially filled with cars I43, and those near the track I42 contain, in the molds I50 thereof, solidified alumina while those near the track I4I contain, in the molds thereof, still molten alumina. In fact, the temperature of the alumina in the molds I50 becomes less and less as one moves along the tracks I5I and I52 from the track Hi to the track I42. I use many more cars than those illustrated in Figure 8 in the operation of this furnace.

For transferring cars I43 from the track I40 to the transfer cars I45 on the track I4I, the train may be uncoupled and individual cars can be pushed by manpower using long iron rods. On the other hand, the cable I55 can also be used by coupling the cable to the rear cars of the train and shunting the forward car as is done in railroad yards.

When a quantity of ferro-silicon has accumulated in the shell 2I about up to the line 36, it is time to pour off ferro-silicon. For that purpose I provide a pouring trough I80 which isillustrated in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12. This may comprise a steel shell I8I in the shape of a partial cylinder holding bricks I82 of highly refractory material such as sintered alumina, and it will be noted that the upper surfaces of the bricks I82 form a concave trough. The shell I8I is braced with a pair of side fins I83 and a central fin I84. Comparing Figures 9, 11 and 12 it will be seen that the side fins I83 are shaped to rest upon a car I 43 while the central fin I84 is shaped to straddle the car I43. Thus the pouring trough I80 can be readily placed in position on a car I43 and is quite stable on the car but may readily be removed therefrom as by means of an overhead crane. The pouring trough I80 may be deposited on the ground near the track I40 except when it is being used to pour ferro-silicon.

When it is decided to pour ferro-silicon, a train of cars is made up as previously described,

and on the last car is placed the pouring trough I adjacent the last mold I50 of the car ahead. Then the train is moved slowly by the tapping spout 21 which is tilted to pour off alumina. When the mold I50 just ahead of the pouring trough I80 is substantially full, the operator quickly moves the pouring trough I80 in line with the tapping spout 21 and quickly, without returning the crucible to the level position or interrupting the flow of material from the spout, tilts the crucible to its extreme position as shown in Figure 9 and pours the ferro-silicon which fiows into the pit I65. Just prior to moving the pouring trough I80 into position as above described the electrodes 43 are raised to the level of the top M and at the same time the rear feed pipe is raised as previously described, all in order that the crucible may be tilted to the extreme position. I

I have found that this operation can be per formed without the loss of any considerable quantity of alumina into the pit I55 which becomes filled with a high grade of. ferro-silicon which finds a ready market.

Although the above described procedure for pouring the ferro-silicon is the one that I prefer, nevertheless it is quite feasible to pour ferrosilicon without pouring alumina immediately prior thereto. For example the pouring trough I80 may be placed in position, the electrodes raised, the rear pipe 45 raised, the crucible shell 2I tipped to extreme position'as shown in Figure 9, then the plug IIO removed and the tapping spout 21 rammed to break the alumina crust allowing the ferro-silicon to pour off without any previous pouring of fused alumina immediately prior thereto. But in order to show the reason for my preference of the first described procedure, I shall now make some observations about fused liquid alumina and fused liquid ferrosilicon respectively.

There is not much if any super heat in the liquid alumina since its temperature is very close to the melting point if not exactly thereat. On the other hand, the ferro-silicon having a melting point much lower than the temperature attained in the furnace, has a very great amount of super heat being hundreds of degrees hotter than its melting point. Ferro-silicon fiows down the trough like water but the alumina flows down the trough slower and part of it freezes. Consequently the operator does not have much difliculty in deciding which of the liquid materials is actually coming out of the tapping spout 21 when he is pouring into the trough I80.

So therefore, of course, if the operator is pouring ferro-silicon and suddenly sees alumina coming out of the spout, he can proceed to stop the tapping operation. It should be apparent, from the description of this invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that the ferro-silicon is poured from below a pool of liquid alumina, this being one of the'features of this invention. Ferro-silicon has no tendency to freeze in the tapping spout 21 because it has so much super heat but alumina, having considerably less super heat, does have a tendency to freeze in the tapping-spout 21 and, as alumina is poured, a lining of alumina gradually forms in the conical lining I08 reducing the diameter of the bore thereof. This is desired because, when proceeding as first described, the ferro-silicon is poured with the lining I08 already having an inner lining of alumina encrustation but leaving a large enough bore for sufiiciently rapid pouring of the ferro-sllicon, most of which can be gotten rid of in 15 minutes or less; when the entire bath has dropped to such level that the level line 36 has reached the tapping spout during pouring of ferro-silicon and alumina starts to flow out of the spout 21, it quickly freezes in the already diminishing bore and this tends automatically to stop the pouring. This is greatly desired because thereby wastage of the valuable alumina is prevented and of course I also do not want to contaminate the ferro-silicon with alumina because the ferrosilicon is a salable material.

It should now be apparent that before any pouring operation starts, the operator has to ram out a crust of alumina just covering the inside of the opening of the tapping spout 2'1. This is done with a long rod of iron, 20 feet long or more so the operator can stand far away from the furnace, which may be supported by a chain from overhead while still leaving the operator free to swing the end opposite to him as desired. By imparting to such a long rod a quick motion, a very heavy blow can be given to the encrustation by the ram rod which is thrust into the conical lining I08. This will serve to break any encrustation of alumina that has formed blocking the spout 2'! and as soon as the encrustation is broken, alumina or ferrosilicon, as the case may be, starts to'pour.

The freezing of some alumina in or near the tapping spout 21 is not only desirable from the point of view above explained but it enables the graphite plug ill) to be changed and replaced with a new one whenever desired and it is usually desirable to do so about once every two weeks. Naturally a piece of graphite subjected to extreme temperatures that this plug is subjected to oxidizes slowly and needs replacement. These plugs are cheap enough and since there is an encrustation of alumina covering the hole, replacement can be duly made without shutting down the furnace.

It will be noted that pouring of the ferro-silicon is done with the electrodes removed and therefore supplying no energy to the contents of the shell 2| but since this takes only 5 to 15 minutes, the alumina bath does not freeze and the heat energy contained in the shell 2| is mostly saved. It will also be noted that, since the electrodes'do not have to be raised while pouring molten alumina, the power can be kept on and I do keep supplying energy to the bath while pouring the molten alumina. This is a great advantage since alumina is poured frequently while ferro-silicon is poured only occasionally.

The encrustation of alumina inside of the graphite lining [08 during a pouring operation has been explained above. Consequently after each pouring operation the encrustation should be cleaned out of the lining I08. This may be readily done by tilting the furnace back beyond the level position about 10 and then, with the ram rod, breaking the encrustation inside of the graphite lining I08. The furnace can be tilted back of the level position, that is to say in the direction opposite to the direction of tilting for pouring, simply by manipulating the valve 93 to allow it to move back because of the unbalanced condition of the furnace. The furnace may also be tilted back 10 or 12 prior to changing the tapping spout as this makes the operation a little safer than merely relying on the encrustation. It will be understood that the travel of the piston 82 in the cylinder 83 is sufficient to 14 allow movement from a backward tilt of 15 to a forward tilt as shown in Figure 9 sufllcient for the pouring of the ferro-silieon. In the position shown in Figure 9 the furnace is tilted forward about 30.

The material which is supplied to this furnace to produce crystalline alumina will ordinarily be bauxite ore. Using Arkansas bauxite ore, crystalline alumina having the advantageous characteristics described in the objects at the beginning of this specification is produced. I have also found that crystalline alumina made in this furnace makes better grinding wheels bonded with vitrified bond since they are less susceptible to deterioration from wetting than similar grinding wheels having alumina made in the Higgins furnace. This may be attributable to better distribution of impurities throughout the crystals of alumina and this is ultimately attributable to the furnace and the method of this invention because no other changes in the production of crystalline alumina were made.

As above indicated, the addition to be made to the calcined bauxite in preparing the charge for this furnace will be the additions ordinarily made to bauxite for charging into a Higgins furnace, that is to say carbon in the form of coke and iron in the form of borings or other comminuted material with individual pieces preferably having no dimension greater than one inch. The quantity of coke and iron to add may be in accordance with prior art practice or variations may be made for special purposes so therefore it does not seem encumbent upon me to give the chemical formulae involved in reduction nor to state ranges of proportions of materials since these matters are known to the art. If a purer alumina is wanted more carbon can be used in reducing the impurities as is known. For the purposes of this invention I add enough iron to form a ferro-silicon that is preferably 85% iron but at allhevents between and 90% of iron. A man skilled in the art will readily know how much iron to add to produce this result, since an analysis of the ore will indicate how much elemental carbon the coke should have to reduce the silica and how much silicon that will yield, also how much iron will be liberated from the reduction of the iron oxide in the bauxite ore and then how much iron ought to be added to give between 80 and 90% iron in the ferro-silicon, the proportions of course being by weight. The formula then is iron addition equals weight of silicon formed by reduction divided by 15 times minus the weight of the iron produced by reducing the iron oxide in the bauxite. This formula can be varied by substituting any number between 80 and in place of the 85.

In order to start my furnace in operation only a small quality, for example 20% to 30% of the weight of the charge when the furnace is full, of bauxite ore plus additions is usually placed in the bottom of the furnace, then conductive paths for the electric are are made by depositing graphite or coke on the mixture to form a path from each of the three electrodes to the others, then the electrodes are lowered and the power is applied and the mixture is fed through the three pipes 45 as continuously as possible and at a rate no greater than that at which the power supplied can melt the mixture. Actually the furnace of this invention as already operated was of a size to hold, when full, about20 tons of mixture and such a furnace requires approximately 1500 kilowatts of power. In the course of time the shell 2| will become filled with fused material to the line 35 as shown in Figure and then alumina can be poured. It has already been explained that the level line 35 should not come any closer to the tapping spout 21 than about 5 inches during pouring. Because this furnace is continuously fusing bauxite mixture, the oxides such as silica and titania have not been reduced to any great extent at the line 35 or close thereto. In other words the well reduced and the good molten alumina is well below the line 35, that i close to the pool of ferro-silicon. This is the reason for tilting the furnace to pour off the alumina.

Because of the excellent characteristics of the lining 55, I do not have to load the shell M with a large load of bauxite mixture prior to applying power as is done in operating the Higgins furnace but may as above described start the furnace in operation after placing in the shell 2| only 20% to 30% of the bauxite mixture or even less if desired. It was necessary to load the Higgins furnaces with a large quantity of bauxite before applying power so that fusion would reach top and bottom substantially coincidentally because whenever molten ferro-silicon reached the carbon bottom of these furnaces and stayed in contact with it for any substantial length of time. formation of gas became rather violent so it was customary and still is customary to precharge a Higgins furnace with enough mixture before applying power so that the fusion reached top and bottom about coincidentally and then the power was shut off. But my lining 55 of bricks of rammed and sintered alumina is very dense and can hold a pool of ferro-silicon if necessary which does not react with the alumina bricks and furthermore the ferro-silicon does not strike through. These bricks are far denser than the lining formed'in situ as described in the Ridgway patent above mentioned. Because of the high super heat of the ferro-silicon and because of its reactivity with carbon, the character of the lining 55 is a matter of considerable importance. I have had success making a lining as described and although at one stage it consists of individual bricks yet by reason of the slurry of fines and the heat to which it is subjected the lining 55 becomes practically monolithic. It therefore may be termed a monolithic lining of dense selfbonded crystalline alumina having a uniform density from the inside of the lining to the outside of the lining. This monolithic lining may be formed in other ways and I may use other refractory material such as spinel.

Encrustation of alumina about the tapping spout 21 on the lining 55 has already been mentioned. This encrustation of alumina actually covers the entire lining 55 and is formed during the initial stages of the first fusion and is maintained by the continuous fusion of ore in the furnace. This encrustation is usually as thick as the lining 55 and sometimes thicker reaching even a thickness of one foot at the bottom of the furnace and serves in combination with the lining 55 to protect the shell 2|. Thus molten ferro-silicon is usually not in contact with the lining 55. In order to obtain a good encrustation covering the lining 55 I may and preferably do start the fusion with already purified alumina fines and after the fusion has reached the line 36, I start adding bauxite ore with coke and iron as described. A typical encrustation so produced is represented by the dotted line I90, which represents the inner boundary thereof, and it will be seen that it is thicker at the bottom of the i crucible 2|. This furnace is intended to be operated continuously and I have operated a furnace constructed in accordance with this invention for aperiod of many months without shutdown.

It will be noted that, by reason of the shape of the crucible M and the shape of the encrustation I90 which naturally forms, most if not all of the ferro-silicon is poured off at a ferro-silicon tapping stage. Thus at this time fused alumina is in contact with the bottom of the encrustation I90 as the alumina pool gradually lowers and at this time the power is off. So during pouring of the ferro-silicon the encrustation I90 rebuilds itself on the bottom of the crucible. It is the combination of the lining and the encrustation I90 which makes the furnace safe and successful. The encrustation I90 may be termed a natural crucible of alumina.

By fusing bauxite ore or other aluminous ore in the furnace described herein and following the method described herein and adding to the ore enough carbon to reduce the impurities such as silica, iron oxide, titania and magnesia and enough iron to form ferro-silicon with at least 80% iron, ingots of alumina can be produced consisting of 94% A1203 or better with a good crystalline structure having the features set forth in the objects at the beginning of this specification. Likewise, in accordance with the objects, a salable ferro-silicon is produced as a by-product.

The iron molds I50 are massive molds in the nature of ladies. I have found that I can pour liquid alumins which has a temperature over 2000 C. into these molds I50 without melting the iron although iron has a melting point of about 1535 C. This is probably because the heat is conducted away so rapidly from the molten alumina by these massive iron molds. Each of these molds I50 has a capacity of about 300 pounds of alumina and has a wall thickness on the order of 2 /2 inches, an inside depth on the order of 1'7 inches, and in horizontal inside dimensions the molds I50 may be of the same length and breadth, on the order of about 18 inches. The molds are rounded at the bottom and have flaring side walls.

The method of casting ingots of alumina from a fusion of ore disclosed herein is claimed in a divisional application Serial No. 216,513, filed March 20, 1951.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention an apparatus in which the various objects of the invention and many practical advantages are successfully achieved. As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter set forth herein is to be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In an electric arc furnace, a crucible in the shape of a frusto-cone small end up with a flat wall interrupting its otherwise conical surface at the front and a curved bottom at the large end of the cone having a depending bulge to the rear of the geometrical axis of the cone, the bottom being continuous with the frusto-cone and the crucible being hollow and made of metal, a single spout in the crucible said spout being located in the flat wall above the bottom and below the top of the crucible, a plurality of electrodes extending downwardly into the crucible,

a mounting for the crucible, means for tilting the crucible on the mounting to lower the spout for pouring, a refractory lining for the bottom or the crucible and extending part way up the inside of the frusto-cone the spout being located below the top or the lining, and means for cooling the outside of the crucible.

2. In an electric arc furnace as claimed in claim 1, the combination with the parts and features therein specified, of water pipes arranged around the outside. of the crucible to cover all of the outside of the crucible with water.

3. In an electric arc furnace as claimed in claim 2, the combination with the parts and features therein specified, of a continuous unbroken lining for the bottom of the crucible, said lining being made of individual bricks of dense selfbonded crystalline alumina.

4. In an electric arc furnace as claimed in claim 1, the combination with the parts and features therein specified, of a continuous unbroken lining for the bottom 01 the crucible, said lining being made of individual bricks of dense selfbonded crystalline alumina.

5. In an electric arc furnace for fusing alumina ores, a crucible in the shape of an asymetric bucket of metal with a deep spot spaced from the axis and a bottom inclining upwardly from the deep spot, a plurality of electrodes extending downwardly into the crucible, a lining of alumina bricks on the inside of the crucible over the bottom and extending up the sides of the crucible all the way around the crucible, an encrustation of alumina formed from the furnace charge upon the bricks being thick over the bottom bricks and of lesser thickness above the bottom, a single spout in the crucible with an orifice extending through the lining and the metal of the bucket and being located above the furnace bottom and well below the furnace top and on the side opposite the deep spot, the bricks being dense and made or at least 97% alumina particles sintered together, a mounting for the crucible, and means for tilting the crucible on the mounting to lower the spout.

6. In an electric arc furnace for reducing and 18 purifying bauxite and the like with the production of ferro-silicon as a by-product, a metal crucible in the shape of a frusto-cone small end up with a flat wall interrupting its otherwise conical surface at the front and a curved bottom continuous with the frusto-cone at the large end thereof, a tapping spout in the flat wall well below the top of the crucible and above but adjacent to the bottom of the crucible, a plurality of electrodes extending downwardly into the crucible, a mounting for the crucible, means for tilting the crucible on the mounting to lower the tapping spout for pouring, means to cover the outside of the crucible including the frusto-cone, the flat wall and the bottom with water continuously flowing, a lining of defense individual bricks of at least 97% alumina at least 98% pure, said alumina being sintered under substantially cone 35 conditions of firing said lining of bricks covering the entire bottom of the crucible and the inside of the frusto-cone and flat wall to above the level of the tapping spout, and an incrustation of alumina formed in situ covering the lining of dense individual bricks to above the level of the tapping spout.

JOHN A. UPPER.

REhERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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